Florida man arrested for using ketchup packet as weapon, faces 5 years in prison

A man in Florida could face up to five years in prison after authorities say he turned a ketchup packet into a weapon. Because of a previous criminal record, this act is being considered a felony.

Anyone who thinks a condiment can’t be used as a weapon needs to ketchup with the times.

Police arrested 28-year-old Austin Simmons on Monday evening at a bus terminal in Florida. They say another man, Carlos Mora, found Simmons unconscious and checked to see if he was okay.

That’s when things escalated.

Florida man busted after alleged ketchup packet attack

According to The Smoking Gun, Simmons reportedly became very angry, confronted Mora, and threw an open packet of ketchup at him. Police reported that Mora’s jacket had two ketchup stains as a result.

According to the arrest report, officers discovered an opened ketchup packet on the ground, with some ketchup spilled. The packet, which contained about 0.3 ounces of ketchup, wasn’t saved as evidence.

According to police, Simmons claims he didn’t hit Mora with ketchup, but he did admit to handing Mora a ketchup packet.

I was really surprised to learn that Simmons was charged with a serious felony after this incident. Normally, something like this would just be a misdemeanor, but apparently he had a battery conviction back in 2019, which made things much worse for him legally.

After the arrest, officers reportedly found a small amount of a powdery substance during a search, which resulted in an additional charge for drug possession.

Simmons is being held on a $5,000 bond for charges of assault and drug possession. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.

People getting into trouble over condiments isn’t new. Back in 2022, a Chick-fil-A manager actually called the police because a couple requested extra sauce.

In lighter news, Heinz has introduced a new fry holder that includes a special space for dipping sauces like ketchup or mayonnaise.

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2026-01-23 00:19